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May 27, 2017

Missing Man

This is Commencement season. And whether your child is graduating first grade, or middle school, high school, college, or graduate schools, this time of year brings with it a sense of excitement and possibility. And it's a time of year that this year, I have experienced first hand as my oldest child, my son, graduated from college on Thursday.

One does not think of this time of year as a time of horror and sorrow and great sadness. But that's what happening here, especially with the Bowie State University community. Richard Collins, III, a newly-commissioned Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, was supposed to have graduated with his classmates last Tuesday. He never made it, as he was killed by a University of Maryland student at the College Park campus last Saturday. The story has made national media, but in case you still haven't heard of it, you can read about it here.

This has been extensively covered in the media already, but I do have a few opinions to vent on the matter that I haven't seen much discussed yet.

There must be something I'm missing, because is there actually a debate about whether or not the murder of this young man qualifies as a hate crime or an act of domestic terrorism. The clear answer is that it's both! And from my point of view, the fact that Collins was African-American and the (alleged) killer, Sean Urbanski was white is almost extraneous.

Urbanski is an avowed white supremacist. No matter what phony gloss a few may want to paint upon white supremacy, white supremacists believe that not only are nonwhites inferior and basically animals, but that whites who believe that nonwhites are equal (which would be about 98% of white people, I believe) are also an enemy and also ought to be put in their place. There is nothing about white supremacy that is about advancing a conservative viewpoint or about maintaining connection to European-American heritage. Absolutely. Freaking. Nothing!

Oh, and another thing. White supremacists are right-wing anarchists. They kinda want to upset the order of things, in favor of replacing it with something that's more to their liking. Such as, a white-dominated, white-run society. My point? White supremacists hate everyone and their value system is far outside of the norms and is simply not acceptable in this society. And any politician who seeks the support of white supremacists or expresses anything less than disgust for their views is unfit to uphold any public privilege. Including the defense of any local code or state or federal constitutions.

So let's not forget something, especially this Memorial Day weekend. Richard Collins was a soldier in the United States Army. An officer in fact. True, he was not on duty at the time of his murder but this racist killed an American soldier. I'm guessing that the Uniform Code of Military Justice does not apply here, but if it did, what Urbanski did, had he himself been a member of the military, would be considered a capital offense. And part of me right now wishes that Maryland could relax its moratorium on the death penalty for this case. Although, even if that were possible, that would only serve to make Urbanski a martyr. And frankly, he doesn't deserve that recognition. And it doesn't seem like keeping this trash on the rolls of the state, fed, clothed and housed at taxpayer expense, seems fair either.

Another matter. As the parent of a child who graduated this past week, I can not imagine the horror and sadness felt my Richard Collins's family, friends, and community. What would I do if my child were taken from me, especially in this manner? My mind can't even grasp the concept. And add to this all the details, all the circumstances, and my blood boils and my heart weeps.

The Howard County NAACP and others are holding a rally for Richard Collins on Sunday at 3pm at Columbia Mall. The rally will be held at the corner of Windstream and Little Patuxent Parkway. You owe it to yourself to attend, and if you can't spare the hour, spare the two minutes out of your way to drive by and honk and show your support however you can.

As happy and proud as I am of seeing my own son cross the stage a few days ago, I am heartbroken over what happened to this young man and it's terrible that the world has been denied of the gifts that doubtless, Richard Collins would have bestowed upon it. A life with tremendous value and promise ended tragically and several decades too soon. For no reason other than for pure hatred.

Please have a restful, peaceful Memorial Day weekend. Not all our soldiers who are lost are lost to us on the battlefield. Some are lost while standing for American values at home.